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During adolescence, individuals experience significant cognitive development that enhances their understanding of others' emotions and thoughts, known as cognitive empathy. This period is marked by an increased ability to adapt to others' perspectives and a more nuanced understanding of others' mental states, a skill that is foundational for social problem-solving and conflict avoidance. The development of cognitive empathy relies heavily on the theory of mind — the recognition that people have...
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Probing the Brain in Autism Using fMRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging
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Published on: September 12, 2011

White matter structures associated with empathizing and systemizing in young adults.

Hikaru Takeuchi1, Yasuyuki Taki, Benjamin Thyreau

  • 1Smart Ageing International Research Center, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. takehi@idac.tohoku.ac.jp

Neuroimage
|April 13, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Brain structure differences in empathizing and systemizing were found. White matter volume and integrity correlate with these cognitive traits, suggesting a trade-off between empathizing and systemizing in the brain.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroimaging

Background:

  • Empathizing involves understanding others' mental states for behavioral prediction and emotional response.
  • Systemizing involves analyzing rule-based systems for behavioral prediction.
  • Individual differences in empathizing and systemizing are well-documented.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the white matter (WM) structural correlates of empathizing and systemizing.
  • To explore the neural basis of the difference between systemizing and empathizing (D score).
  • To examine sex differences in the relationship between WM structure and these cognitive traits.

Main Methods:

  • Voxel-by-voxel analysis of regional white matter volume (rWMV) and fractional anisotropy (FA) using diffusion tensor imaging.
  • Whole-brain analyses of covariance to identify correlations between WM measures and empathizing/systemizing scores.
  • Post-hoc analyses to dissect the contributions of empathizing and systemizing to observed correlations.

Main Results:

  • The D score negatively correlated with rWMV in temporal lobe regions and positively with FA in the superior longitudinal fasciculus.
  • Associations were driven by opposing correlations between WM structures and empathizing versus systemizing.
  • A significant sex-by-D score interaction on rWMV was observed near the temporoparietal junction, linked to sex-specific correlations with empathizing and systemizing.

Conclusions:

  • WM structures supporting the default mode network and mirror neuron system are implicated in empathizing.
  • WM structures related to external attention systems support systemizing.
  • Evidence suggests a neural trade-off between empathizing and systemizing, despite weak direct correlation between the traits.